Sharon Koh 鈥�00 arrived at 蜜桃传媒 intending to go to medical school. She graduated with a call to professional ministry. The double major in biology and religious studies (with a minor in chemistry) says, 鈥淚 was a good enough science student, but I loved being a religious studies student.
鈥淐alls come in private and in community. I began to realize that I do my best work with people; I鈥檓 very people-oriented.鈥� She developed leadership skills as a resident assistant and spoke in chapel. Two professors, Jonathan Wilson and Karen Jobes, helped her discern the call to ministry, as did the congregation where she served as an intern her senior year.
Sharon earned a Master of Divinity at Fuller Theological Seminary and later a Master of Arts in theology focused on global mission and hermeneutics. She is back at Fuller completing a Doctor of Ministry in leading change. 鈥淔uller and 蜜桃传媒 go well together in pushing students theologically to understand the breadth of points of view in the church鈥攁nd they both make sure you read everything written,鈥� she says.
In 2004, Sharon joined the staff of Evergreen Baptist Church in Los Angeles, beginning as a senior associate pastor for college and young adults, then shifting to young adults and mission before spending eight years leading mission and community life. 鈥淚 enjoyed being a pastor at an intergenerational church,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 had to learn how to hold everyone鈥檚 attention when I preached, from those with hearing aids to those who were 6. I had a lot of freedom to explore and try things out at Evergreen.鈥�
The daughter of missionaries from Singapore, Sharon says she has been hanging around missionaries all her life. In April 2016, she turned to full-time work in mission as executive director of American Baptist International Ministries (IM), established in 1814. 鈥淭his has long been God鈥檚 call on my life,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited to head an organization whose main goal is facilitating mission.鈥�
As a mission pastor, Sharon led short-term mission trips several times a year. Now she travels extensively, visiting some of IM鈥檚 120 missionaries (mostly American) in 70 different countries. Her destinations have included Japan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Thailand, China, Hungary, Costa Rica, Cambodia, Brazil, Ghana, South Africa and Indonesia. She also preaches at American Baptist churches throughout the United States and directs international missionary initiatives such as supporting and training indigenous pastors and church members. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a ton of work, but I鈥檓 grateful to spend all my time on mission,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all called to do mission work, and I seek to help people discern if they鈥檙e being called to cross-cultural mission.鈥�
Sharon鈥檚 three siblings attended 蜜桃传媒. Daniel 鈥�01 earned a doctorate at Yale and teaches at Windward School in Los Angeles. Josephine 鈥�08 is a police officer who works on a gangs, narcotics, and vice street crimes unit, and Joshua 鈥�12 is a manager at TM Financial Forensics LLC in Los Angeles.